How many years and hours per week should I be involved in an extracurricular activity to show depth?
What do Rigorous classes mean to you? Can someone not take any AP/IB classes and still be considered as taking hard class offered to them? If I took a class that was more faster pace than a regular class, but not an AP or College level class? I’m talking about honors classes, and classes that are 10 week instead of 20 week regular classes.
You should be involved in ECs as much as you want to be. Don’t do things just for applications. If you are committed, it will come through.
As for rigor, your guidance counselor checks the box on how rigorous your schedule is. The requirements for rigor vary by school based on what the school offers. You need to talk to your GC on this.
Please actaully answer the qeustions. I need this information to see what I need to do in the future.
Rigor is 100% dictated by what’s offered at your school. If you are at a school where the majority of kids take 14 APs, then no, taking a honors or regular but accelerated classes isn’t going to be considered rigorous. If you are at a school with very limited APs, then it may be enough. As was answered by the first responder, you need to talk to your guidance counselor.
She did. In fact, she gave the definitive answer.
In terms of EC hours, for my D it varied by season and activity. Sci Oly took hours and hours but only for a few months. Theater was also cyclical with high intensity bursts.
The important thing is not how many hours/week, but what you do with the activity and your personal commitment.
I echo not doing something because it looks “good” on your application. If you are pursuing what you enjoy, that passion will come through on your application. Colleges want students that will add texture to their community so do things that bring you joy that you would want to continue in college.
It is not a matter of hours spent EC. It is doing what you enjoy and excelling at it. Become a leader, mentor, coach, or officer in a school club
If it is an academic club compete in competitions at regional, state and national level
Dont join a half dozen clubs to check a box
My kids examples
S21 EC’s passion for playing soccer, He coached City youth Soccer for 3 years (would of been 4 but Covid). Was an elected officer in a school club and competed in states DECA. and schools first Model UN team
D23 loves working with kids,Youth Soccer coach, Summer Camp Counselor, Youth counselor church, She is looking at Pre Med and is also involved in HOSA and competed in regionals her freshman year
Both other clubs NHS, KEY
Rigor
Are you taking the most challenging classes offered at YOUR school that’s it. As stated earlier for rigor you need to talk to your GC
Your HS profile will show the colleges what they consider rigor, how many honors and AP, DE, etc. courses are offered, how many you have taken and the level of those courses. You guidance counselor fills in the level of rigorous courses you have taken. If you take faster paced courses and YOUR HS considers this rigorous, then, the counselor will make note of it in their portion of the application.
As far as EC’s go, admissions like to see not only what you have participated in, your area of interest, things that would benefit your future, leadership, indicate your level of campus/community involvement or things that support your interest. I view depth as doing an activity, club, sport, music, etc. at the highest level available to you. An example would be that you enjoy being outdoors, do you belong to a community clean up effort, do you speak at a local meeting in favor of preserving open space, do you contact a local college to get involved in some research, or do you just like to hike trails in the area? You can apply this to anything, are you operating at the highest level you can given you abilities, and what is available to you. They don’t want to see that you started x# of clubs for a couple of months unless you can relate to how that club will benefit others/campus/community and that you have trained new leaders to continue it after you graduate. They also take into consideration the community that you live in, what would be available for you to participate in, whether you have to commute long distances to school or have financial or family obligations that would preclude school clubs, etc.
7, 14.2
Ecs= what matters is the end result.
Rigor=
All 5 core courses for 4 years, keeping in mind reaching level 4 counts as 4 years in foreign language.
6 classes every year including senior year (unless you take 5APs senior year in which case 5 is ok – not recommended)
Bio, chem, physics +1 science AP (from these 3 if aiming for Stem)
Math through precalculus or calculus
6-8 AP (total) mostly from core courses and reflecting your academic strength
Some personal picks reflecting your personal interests
6 to 8 AP total would not get the most rigorous from our GC
Again OP needs to talk to GC. IB is mentioned and i would be surprised if any non IB students are getting the top marks in Rigor from GC
D23 for example is on the Cambridge (AICE) Track Looking at a total of about 15 College level classes, combination of AP, AICE and DE. AP Capstone is also offered at their High School. (Some students doing AICE and AP Capstone )
She attends a Suburban Public School
Students take 7 classes plus a study hall, Block schedule with 4 class each day.
9th AP Human Geo, AICE General Paper AICE Thinking Skills
10th AP Chem, AICE English, AICE Marine Science, AICE European History
11th DE English, AP Bio, AICE US History, AICE Global Perspectives
12th possible schedule DE English (creative writing) AP Calc, AP Physics, AP Gov
As far as Honor level classes they are considered more rigorous than regular classes but not as rigorous as college level classes. The problem you will run into just taking Honors classes is that students taking AP/IB will round out their schedules with Honor classes.
Condensed classes ie. summer, the rigor is usually counted the same as a longer term, ie. fall term. No bump for the shorter semester, but then again check with your GC.
It all depends upon what you are shooting for. If you’re looking to go to your state’s flagship U, and you would have a very tough time in the highest level classes that your school offers, then you might do better to get a 4.0 in college prep level classes than to get lower grades in more challenging classes. But if this is not the case, if you are capable of doing well in the most rigorous classes, you should take as many highest level classes that you can, partly because you will get the most out of your high school education this way, and partly because you will be unlikely to be admitted to any highly competitive schools without having taken the most rigorous classes available to you.
As for ECs, again, it depends. If you’re shooting for your state’s flagship state U, the most important thing is likely to be your GPA/class rank and your standardized test scores. If you’re shooting for tippy-top schools, the issue is what extraordinary achievement had you gotten in ECs - national or international level awards/achievement. No school will be impressed by the fact that you participated in choir for 7 years, without ever making regionals or All-State, or even your school’s select ensembles. But if you love singing in choir, even though you’re not that good at it, you should do it, for your own joy. It’s not the number of years in any specific EC to prove commitment - it’s your level of achievement in it, and the fact that you participated in things that you loved doing, and did well in them.
Strictly speaking, AICE classes are not college-level classes, but a step between Honors and AP. Because your child is preparing the Aice diploma rigor evaluation within context means she’ll get most rigorous for her school, especially since she took many AP courses on top of AICE classes.
Aice classes are either Igcse (9th-10th grade/Year 10-11 UK) coverage for non British system students – General Paper, Thinking Skills, Global Perspectives- that don’t count for UK university admission, or AS Levels (year 12/11th grade classes – British students take 3 or 4), of which some are core (English, European History, US History) and some are non core (Marine science).
In terms of quantity, your child would be considered to have 8 1/2, 9, or 9 1/2 “AP or equivalent” (depending on whether she’s taking Comp Gov+US gov or Us Gov only, and how AP HuG is considered.) Not far from the 6-8 total recommended.
However she DOES have demonstrated breadth of education, which should be quite appreciated at selective LACs such as NESCAC ans 7sisters (in addition to Florida publics.)
For ECs, achievement matters.
What do you think looks more impressive?
Rigor has been talked about but I kinda disagree about the Ecs. Sure do what you want to do and find interesting but I would do just a few activities for 2-4 years, but only if you really enjoy it. Schools want to be shown commitment. You don’t need to be part of 6 different clubs /activities. Sometimes just 2 that your committed to is enough. Also working is great. Anything you do can show leadership. First off do it but it’s how it’s framed also. You don’t have to be the star or win awards. Sometimes just doing is enough. Showing yearly improvement like in a sport shows dedication and drive. Hopefully as you become a sophomore /junior your helping the students underneath you in some way. That is the ultimate leadership role helping a peer. Also doing anything like peer to peer tutoring is great. Schools want for the most part students that will be active on the campuses. That’s pretty much what their looking for.
High school is a time to explore interests. EC’s can vary over the years. If you develop an authentic interest, by all means continue to expand on it, in and out of school. It can be one year or two or three. You have time to figure out what you want to do in depth.
Take classes that interest and challenge you, and that you can do well in. Your guidance counselor can advise you or you can make that judgment yourself.
You will find a college that fits you. Don’t try to fit yourself to a college.
Character is as important as EC’s and rigor in admissions.
Quickly off topic, debating AICE/AP/IB/DE can take up a whole thread in itself.
AICE Diploma has only been in the US since about 1997 and not in every state, 35 I believe now, yet it is growing. and is being accepted by many colleges and more colleges all the time as an equal to AP/IB/DE for college credit and for rigor in recalculating GPA for admission.
So again back to OP. We don’t know what state OP lives in, or colleges OP is lookin at. First and most important is to talk to GC about their Rigor